


Errand of Mercy*

by Marzipan77



Series: The Ascended Chronicles of an Interfering Archaeologist [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stargate SG-1, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ascended Daniel Jackson, Crossover, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 18:03:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20782820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marzipan77/pseuds/Marzipan77
Summary: Shortly before Odin tosses Thor and his hammer to Earth (Thor), Daniel and the Ascended Others arrive near Asgard. But these aren't the Asgardians Daniel knows. Instead, they resemble a certain group of egotistical, power-mad beings who want to be worshipped as gods. Both the Others and Daniel know this type - and won't stand for their interference in Earth affairs.Daniel arrives in Stuttgart, Germany just as Loki is set to steal an eyeball and put his plan for Earth's domination into play. (The Avengers) Needless to say, Loki is disappointed. And so is Nick Fury.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another blatant fix-it for one of my favorite universes - The Avengers. Instead of protecting a child, this time Daniel and the Others are protecting a world - alternate Earth - protecting it from powerful beings who are eager to be worshipped as gods. It's all hitting a bit close to home for Daniel - and for the other Ascended beings.
> 
> *The title is taken from the Star Trek TOS episode of the same name. Channeling a little Organian Peace Treaty here.

The stars gleamed, welcoming the Ascended spirits that had gathered within the nebula near the Asgard home world. Asgard. Daniel had expected to find friends there, an alternate version of grey aliens, too intelligent for their own good, their own attempts at immortality dooming them. His awareness had touched this new universe and heard familiar names. Heimdall. Thor. Hermiod. Freyr. Even Loki. But these aliens were as far from the ones Daniel knew as he could imagine. Proud. Martial. Drinking and eating and wrestling and going to war because they were bored. 

The colors and sights had blinded him, at first. Realms and kingdoms that did not obey any notion of Earth-physics. Cities, floating in the starry void, moons and mountains with atmospheres, connected by strange bridges or unseen tunnels through the stars. Sam would go nuts.

Eagerly moving towards the brilliant golden world before him, Daniel had reached out with his awareness, measuring the minds he found there, drifting towards a well of pain, a dense knot of longing. Despair and rage. Yes, he could help here, he'd thought. But between that thought and his next intention, he'd reached the deepest emotion, the underlying attitude of the people of this Asgard. 

Pride. Superiority. Egotism.

Oma had wrapped him in her power and forbidden him, drawing Daniel back and holding him more tightly than ever before.

Now, he waited, curious, as the Others gathered within the cluster of stars, more and more individual awarenesses flickering into place as every moment passed. Hidden within the stardust, their presence muffled by the dense energy of the nebulas, Daniel considered the Others.

Daniel felt it then – at once, as if some perfect number of ascended beings had been met – an emotion he had never sensed from the Others before. Anger.

Before he could turn to Oma for guidance, the stars around him dimmed; a curtain of illusion had been drawn around the assembly. Daniel felt himself taking on human semblance, his feet planted firmly on some floor made of wood and stone. On either side and before and behind him the Others appeared, old and young and all colors of skin and hair and in clothes in a variety of styles and fashions from different worlds and different eras.

A room grew up, hastily sketched lines and angles filling in with color and texture and light. Daniel's eyebrows rose – it was a room he recognized. This was Dr. Jordan's classroom at the Chicago Institute. From the overhead projector standing in the front right corner, to the worn folding desks set row by row in an arc rising up towards the outer doors, it matched Daniel's memory perfectly.

"Of course, it does," Oma whispered beside him. She patted his arm and gestured for him to sit before hurrying down the steps to join two Others at the front.

Frowning, Daniel sat.

"Our brother has drawn us on," Oma began, glancing up at Daniel before continuing, "following his call, following whispers of pain and grief and loss that might be lifted." She nodded sharply. "We have been reminded, since his first insistence that we allow him to touch the lowers that reach out for help, that there are times we can and should interfere, especially when children are bent or twisted, hurt, destroyed. Those with little power are at the mercy of those with far more."

Murmurs of agreement rippled around the large room. Daniel listened carefully, picking out words here and there.

"It has always been so."

"It's why we left."

"So many. Their pain tears at us."

Oma waited for their silence. "This place, however," she shook her head, her eyes clouded, "there is power here. Power like our own. Power wielded as weapons to subdue and subjugate, to garner worship," she spat the word, "to grasp greater and greater reverence, mindless obedience. We have seen this kind of power before."

The room remained silent this time, the Others' thoughts guarded with walls of ice and iron. Their eyes were riveted to Oma's.

"We know where this will lead."

"It is not the same!" An older man, balding and hook-nosed, dressed in white, stood up from his chair. "They are not Ascended. They will never reach that level of dominance."

"They may as well be," a dark-haired woman answered. She folded her hands at her waist, her voice level but stern. "No matter where their power has originated, it is vast. It has leveled planets and peoples. It has been launched out of jealousy and ego rather than mercy or justice. These Asgardians call themselves gods and expect to dominate all they perceive." Her mouth twisted. "I do not see a difference between them and … our oldest foes."

"Ganos – you can't –"

"I can and I will, you old fool." The woman's insult was turned slightly by the smile on her face. "The ones who call themselves Asgard in this universe are much too close to becoming evils that rival anything we have come against before. Their foes here, the ones they call giants, are mighty, but trapped here," she gestured with one hand, "in their own universe. Unless and until one of the 'gods of Asgard' shows them the way out." She lifted one arched eyebrow. "Are you suggesting we flee, again? That we run away? Leave all the beings forced to stay here – and any these Asgard can reach with their bridges – relegated to slavery to these self-named gods?"

The bald man sneered. "We cannot stand in judgment, Ganos. The Asgard may have conquered, war-like, in this set of planets, but they have not reached farther than this one system. We did not interfere with the Goa'uld, did we? When they did the same?"

"And that was a mistake." A slight man with pale curly hair and brilliant blue eyes stepped up beside Oma at the front of the classroom. "I need not remind you of that, surely, Myrddin."

Myrddin shook his head, angry. "This child," he flapped one hand towards Daniel, "speaks and you rush to regard him as wisest of us all. Have you forgotten where this kind of thinking, this blatant hubris when we set ourselves to judge others will lead? Will you have us become the very things we hate?"

"No." Daniel stood in the silence that greeted his word. Hands tucked into the pockets of his BDUs, he stepped purposefully to the front of the classroom. He turned clear blue eyes to the Others.

"I made a promise. To you, to all the Ascended. I promised I would never lift myself to the level of god-hood, judging, manipulating, forcing men and women, aliens, to do my will. Using power to subdue or cleanse or destroy. And that if I stepped across that line, even once, I'd accept any punishment. Any consequences that you, together, thought were necessary." He gazed out at the diverse Others, all colors, all ages, all cultures. "You found the temptation too great and slipped away from the physical world, afraid you'd fall into the same trap of ego and pride." Daniel looked down at the green BDUs, boots, weapon strapped to his thigh. "But this is who I am. This warrior/scholar. It's who I was when Oma lifted me from certain death and gave me this new life. Acting, interfering," his half-smile felt nostalgic, "offering a hand to the hopeless, those tragically outgunned and outmaneuvered by those vastly more powerful than they are –" he spread one hand on his chest, "it's my truth of spirit."

Oma's stern expression softened. "You're very convincing."

Daniel reached up to adjust glasses that weren't there, uncomfortable. "Um, so I've been told."

"We agreed to this, Daniel. We are not taking back that pledge. Not yet." A youngish man, maybe Daniel's age, light hair smooth and his expression open smiled at him. "Not even when you made yourself known to your friend in his darkest time."

Closing his eyes against the memory of the dark shadows in Jack's eyes, Daniel nodded. "Thank you, Orlin."

"These Asgard," Ganos began again, "you see them as a threat to another Earth, very much like your own. They have already touched it. In this Earth's past, these so-called gods already interfered, made themselves known to many worlds in many universes. How else would your Asgard have taken on their semblances to interact with lower worlds?"

The man standing at Oma's side stepped forward. "Myrddin and I have watched them in the past. They were placed in our charge. We … disagreed on our approach."

In the seats, Myrddin folded his arms over his chest.

"Janus?" Oma prompted, one hand open before her.

The man beside her smiled. "The one named Heimdall can see into other universes – he is very close to reaching Ascension, but is hampered by his oaths, oaths to the King of the Asgard. Oaths of utter fealty and submission. None with his soul tied up so tightly can reach our plane on his own." He shrugged. "He has followed that king's instructions, even in allowing the king's son – sons – to step onto other worlds. To interfere in their development. To take human lovers and spend their power in overwhelming battles of sibling rivalry."

"It is rumored that one of these sons has taken possession of an artifact charged with enough power to threaten many worlds." Ganos sat forward in her chair. "Is this true?"

Janus stared up into the seats, challenging his silent colleague. Finally, Myrddin spoke.

"Yes, all right? They've actually left the damn thing on the Earth, allowing humans to study and experiment on it." Myrddin's lips were thin, his eyes blazing. "I can read history as well as any of you and I know what is likely to happen next."

Daniel shuddered. "The people of Earth have no idea how dangerous this artifact will be. How it might change … everything." He remembered translating a cover stone, opening a Doorway to Heaven. A conduit to the greater universe. It had been good, at times. But sometimes he'd wondered. They'd invited so much evil to their world through that doorway. 

"I know your thoughts, Daniel." Oma placed a hand on his arm. "Remember this: you opened the Stargate as a lower, as one of your Earth's humans, with no power but your mind and your heart. These Asgard are not on Earth people – like Ganos has said, they are interfering beyond their world. They have opened the gate to Earth and brought their battles, their threats, to others."

"All true," Myrddin gave a reluctant nod. "But, tell me, Oma, what child is threatened today? Which babe will our new Ascended be saving?" His tone was mocking. "Because I don't see it."

"Hold."

Ganos rose, her aura moving from unseen to visible, creating a halo around her form. Her eyes blazed with blue fire as she looked beyond the classroom construct. "One moves between worlds. An Asgard. One of the sons of the king." She flinched, almost stumbling. "He brings greater evil on his back. Violence. Death." She broke the contact and turned her fierce gaze on Myrddin. "Mind control."

This time it was the old man that flinched.

"That cannot be tolerated. Not again. Not ever again." The Others let their auras burn away the semblance of humanity, the classroom dissolving into light and stardust. "Daniel, go. Take our blessing. With you I send Ganos and her three best warriors. Janus and I and the rest will hold these Asgard while you work. And then we will show them what true power is."

Released, Daniel sped his consciousness towards Earth. Towards those threatened with slavery. They might not be children by age, but, compared to the Asgard, they were babies in the way of power. Even their extraordinary men and women, their superheroes, should be protected from this invasion.


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel lifted the champagne flute to his lips, pretending to sip as he scanned the over-dressed crowd wandering through the Stuttgart Museum. He lifted his hand to his bow tie, hardly daring to brush the expensive fabric for fear of nudging it out of place. Tuxedos, bow ties, gem-studded evening-wear. Nope. He could absolutely never get used to this – and he wondered how a scientist of Heinrich Schafer's intelligence and drive coped with this kind of hand-shaking meet-and-greet on a regular basis. 

The scientist's spirit drowsed deep within, his fierce mind wrapped tight in Daniel's ascended power. Unlike the FBI agent Daniel had inhabited in the previous universe, this man had to be swamped, completely overwhelmed. He would not have accepted Daniel's control any other way.

Schafer was a very different man – but then, this was a very, very different world. Here superpowered beings were accepted, expected, even. Hulking scientists, avenging constructs, genetically modified soldiers – some trained, some designed by genius billionaires – were shown on every news channel. Here, the scientist Daniel had borrowed, due to be honored by the Stuttgart Museum, would awaken later to be surrounded by reporters and groupies frantic for his story of alien possession. Another front-page headline about extraordinary people.

Daniel buried his grimace behind his glass. Apparently, it wasn't only in his own universe that over-dressed megalomaniac so-called gods bent on human domination longed to preen before a crowd, making speeches and believing themselves unassailable. 

He sighed, allowing himself a moment to appreciate the museum's exhibits – great Assyrian winged gods carved from immense stones. Tablets covered with hieroglyphs. A sarcophagus – stone and wood, not hiding alien technology – lay beneath a thick glass case. He breathed in the familiar scent of ancient books, dust, and the heavy musk of centuries past. 

A spark of power turned his gaze from the familiar antiquities towards the grand staircase. There. Loki wore the trappings of a human as easily as Daniel, but the throbbing energy beneath was as clear as desert sunlight. Daniel shifted Schafer's attention from the strutting alien while his ascended awareness measured and weighed Loki's power. It was undeniably strong, built on an utterly alien foundation grown under foreign suns. Frost giant. Asgardian. Magic-user. Conjurer. Loki was all those things and many more. But the power that shone bright and dense from Heimdall, from Freya, from Odin – even though the old man's soul was rusting and tarnished - was blunted in Loki. Twisted. Hardened by jealousy and bitterness into a jagged ball of cold steel that tied Loki's spirit up in knots. 

Whether Daniel could unravel those knots to reveal the hurt child within – well, that was something the Others advised him was yet to be seen. The Ancients' power was great, but, in this universe, Daniel was going to need a bit of help.

Two of Ganos' warriors waited at Schafer's well-guarded warehouse a few blocks away, where Clint Barton and his minions did their new god's bidding. One whispered in a struggling scientist's ear on board a ship flying over the ocean, ready to break the bonds of mind-slavery. Ganos remained aloft, her energy ready to assist whoever – wherever – it was needed.

Oma herself stood beside all-seeing Heimdall on the Rainbow Bridge, awaiting Daniel's sign. 

The smug smile on Loki's lips grew as the Asgardian caught sight of Daniel's borrowed human form. 

Daniel strolled towards the edge of the crowd, all eyes turning towards him. 'Yes,' He sent a beckoning flicker of energy towards Loki, 'come closer.'

When Loki's staff tripped him, strong hands slamming Schafer's body flat on top of the glass display case, Daniel was ready. They were all ready.

Loki's feral grin curled across his face as his power burned away the human trappings to reveal his horned helmet, royal robes, and staff. The smug alien's eyes had just begun to widen, his grin slipping, as Daniel's form grew, his muscles thickening, his head covered by long dark hair and flowing beard, his Armani tuxedo turning into leather armor, sword and staff in hand. It was an image Loki would recognize – one he would fear. One that would put the brakes on his single-minded pursuit. 

"No, it can't be – you're dead!" Loki stammered, stumbling backwards, one hand raised between them as if to keep Daniel back.

"Loki. Child of two fathers. Deceiver. Shape-shifter. Trickster. Brother." Daniel in his new persona climbed off the display case and faced the alien. "This has gone far enough."

Loki's face twisted, bitterness turning him ugly. "Kvasir. Wisest One. Creator. Teacher. You're dead. We – the dwarfs – they killed you."

"Did you?" Daniel crossed his arms over his broad chest, his voice echoing through the massive rotunda. "Many others have been thought dead, Loki. Including you. And yet, here we stand."

Green eyes darted across the now silent crowd, the men and women caught in Ganos' web of stasis. Eyes not seeing the confrontation. Minds unknowing of the otherworldly powers in their midst. Ganos' aura protected them. 

"Go home, old man," Loki snarled. "No one here has questions for you. No one here needs your wisdom or insight." He tightened his grip around his staff, the blue crystal caught in its blade humming. 

"Foolish child." Daniel held out one hand and summoned the scepter. His power ripped the thing from Loki's fingers, making him stumble and fall to one knee, clutching his broken hand to his chest. "You need more help than even the ones you've caught in your mind's web. Did you think the one who gifted you this staff would leave you to lord it over this world? That he did not twist and turn you in his thick hands like you do to Clint Barton? Erik Selvig?"

"He wouldn't dare." Even crouched before the image of the wisest of the Asgard, Loki's pride was not lessened. "Thanos thinks I serve, but no one knows the depth of my true power. Not even Odin."

Daniel tilted his head. "Power? No. Ego? Ambition? You have more than your fair share. Not that I blame you for mistaking them. Thanos didn't teach you to twist others, Odin did."

Loki seemed surprised by his slur against the All-Father. "How do you –"

"I know, Loki. Let that be enough for you."

Teeth clenched against his pain and disappointment, Loki struggled to his feet. "And you want me to believe you know me?" He huffed. "If you did, you'd know nothing is ever enough for me. Nothing will ever fill up this void, this hunger."

"Very well." He bared Kvasir's crooked smile at Loki. "Do you want true wisdom, Loki? Do you want to be free from your slavery to Thanos and The Other, free from your jealousy and envy of your brother's position in both Odin and Freya's hearts and the eyes of the Asgardians? Come here." He lifted his hand.

Loki hesitated, suspicious. Few hands but Thor's had ever been truly opened to help him. Without reserve. Without chains and manacles attached. Daniel waited, his posture challenging, his expression carrying just the right combination of disdain and appeal. 

Finally, Loki moved closer, eyes narrowed, like a wild animal starving for attention yet wary of any. Daniel kept Kvasir's thick-fingered hand steady, his own power restrained, allowing Loki to make his own decision. With a snort of impatience, Loki grasped his hand.

"Watch." Daniel stared into the shimmering blue crystal held in the tip of the scepter, gathering its power back into the small yellow jewel at the very center. The Mind Stone. Even here, on a planet far beyond the Asgard realm, it cried out to the other stones. He felt Loki's magic flow through him, watching through his mind but unable to touch it. Loki was caught up in Daniel's ascended aura, surrounded and protected from the lure of the stones, from the flailing grasp of Thanos who was just missing his minion, just now realizing his overpowering control had ended. His anger surged through the slim connection between the worlds as he saw that he'd allowed one of the stones out of his grasp – and that he'd never get it back.

Energy streamed out and Daniel and Loki followed. First to the blue cube nearby, still on Earth, beneath the hands of Erik Selvig. With a thought, Daniel broke Loki's grip on the scientist's mind and steadied him while he got his bearings. In a nearby alley, Daniel released Clint Barton. _'Wait,'_ he told them both. 

The green stone shimmered in the mountains of Nepal, the Time Stone unmoored along this physical timeline. Daniel snatched it from its place, buffering its effects with power borrowed from the Others. It would be safe in that pocket of non-time for the moment.

The red stone, housed in a case in a hungry being's collection, pulsed. The Power Stone glowed bright purple from its padded drawer on Xandar. 

The soul stone, colored with dark, simmering fire, lay on the planet of Vormir, its strange wards enveloping the most powerful of the artifacts with horrific demands. Daniel broke them, sending the undead being guarding it to its final rest. 

Loki's mind almost slavered in its need to have the stones, to hold them all, snatch them from their places or from Daniel's hand to try their power. Daniel held the Asgardian tightly.

"Watch," he commanded.

It was as if a great hand gathered the stones like a child by the riverside. Tugged them from their places and times and juggled them into a pretty pile. 

"No!" Loki tried to reach out but grasped nothing.

"One final stop," Daniel whispered. He moved, stepping sideways with Loki to appear on the Rainbow Bridge leading to Asgard. The dark skinned guardian stood before him, his helmet laid aside, sword ready in one hand, his eerie silver eyes seeing into all realities at once. It was Heimdall's hand that held the stones. Beside him, Oma, wrapped in white light, stood ready.

"Heimdall? No!" Loki tried to lunge out of Daniel's grasp but found himself unmoving. "You fool! He's as much Odin's pawn as Thor!" He snarled at Daniel. "You claim this to be wise, Kvasir? To let Odin play with the foundations of every universe? To trust the one-eyed one with this much power? You don't know him at all."

Heimdall turned, slow and creaking like a mountain swiveling at its roots. He focused his gaze on Loki, his eyes dimming back to natural brown. "I have taken other oaths, son of Odin. I have set aside Odin, Asgard, my sight, and everything that holds me to this world. I was given a choice by these," he nodded to Daniel and then to Oma. "It is a choice few are offered."

Loki frowned, confusion stealing his anger. "What choice, Watcher?"

Daniel's chest was tight as Heimdall met his gaze and answered.

"A choice between watching and doing. Between gazing on as men and women fall to temptation, to failure, to their own obsessions, and holding the line against evil. A choice between our limited sight and a greater knowledge. It is a difficult choice for me, one who is hale and strong, trusted and admired, with eons of life ahead." Heimdall tilted his head in a bow that was the echo of another warrior's of Daniel's acquaintance. "For others, the choice lay between a half-life of empty service and the greatest of adventures."

Loki swallowed. "Who will guard the bridge?" he whispered.

Heimdall smiled. "Those greater than I have your answer. As for these -" he threw the Infinity Stones into the air. The five clung to each other, colors blended to an eye-watering brightness. With one deadly thrust, Heimdall's sword met the stones and shattered them into dust. White and grey, colorless, it fell in a shower of lifelessness to the bridge where its first cracks appeared next to Heimdall's discarded clothing. His sword rang against the shivering floor a moment later.

Oma and Heimdall were gone.

Loki stumbled, the cracks widening beneath his feet. "What have you done?" he whispered, his lips pale, skin taut against his cheekbones.

"One more stop," Daniel promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kvasir - created by the Aesir and Vanir gods, Kvasir was the known as the wisest, who traveled far and wide answering questions and spreading knowledge. He was killed by the dwarfs who drained him of his blood to make the Mead of Poetry.


	3. Chapter 3

The warriors of Asgard swarmed into King's Hall, brandishing swords, axes, shields and clubs. Loki waited nervously at Daniel's side, trying to watch everywhere at once. Odin stared from his throne Freya at his side, Thor two steps below surrounded by his loyal warriors.

"Kvasir! Kvasir! Wise one!"

"Thank Odin you have returned!"

"Bring us your wisdom!"

The All-father raised one hand for silence. His single eye pierced through Daniel's disguise easily.

"Loki. What trouble do you bring to our doorstep today?" the old man growled. He pointed. "This one wears the skin and bone of our wisest, one lost to us eons ago. Another trick of yours, my son?"

Daniel threw off his disguise and stood before the Asgardians in his SGC uniform. He'd started off this journey as a warrior/scholar, wearing his true face, the clothes and accessories that reflected his spirit. No reason to change now.

"Odin, Freya, I apologize for appearing as I have. It was a simple way to shock Loki, to convince him he was facing someone more powerful than the ally – the master – he'd chained himself to."

Loki pulled away, sneering. "A human? No, no human could have wielded the powers you have shown."

Daniel tilted his head, pulling his mouth into a line. "Not quite human, not anymore." He let his aura billow out, brilliant white tendrils of force surrounding him like a corona. The Asgardians squinted and looked away. Around the throne room, massing behind Daniel in the open space reserved for Odin's supplicants, Others appeared, human forms encircled by light until the central floor resembled a sun. 

The palace rumbled and shook, the foundations shivering from the force of so many Ascended. Before Thor could whirl his hammer or Odin could call his power to bear, Daniel moved forward, the weight and presence of the Others fueling him. Confronting arrogant, self-important lords sitting in lofty towers seemed to be a specialty Daniel had carried with him from his life on Earth.

"No more, Odin. No more will Asgard seek for fame, fortune, or worship from foreign worlds. You're not gods even though you've convinced yourselves, convinced each other, that the power you've learned to control makes you so." Staring down Odin felt very familiar, from the overwrought costume and arrogance to Daniel's sharp, clean anger that sang through his nerves. He heard disgust in his own voice. "Your bridge that you've used to interfere with other worlds has been shattered; your Watcher released from his chains to find his true place among the stars. We've cut this system off, separated it – once and for all – from worlds where your tricks and magic would make you seem like gods."

"How dare –"

Before the old man could get up a full head of steam, tendrils of light and energy moved among the Asgardians, shattering swords and shields, heating axe handles to searing temperatures. Helms and armor were dropped and thrown aside, ringing against the stone floor. Odin was red-faced with fury as he tore the sheath from his side, clutching it until black smoke rose from his hand. At his side, Freya gripped her hands together in her lap, an expression of fierce joy radiating from her face.

"We can't stop you from making more weapons, from refusing to turn away from war among yourselves or the others inhabiting this system of worlds. We have not made you helpless – your enemies' weapons have also been destroyed; their connections broken. But, today, we're giving you a chance to change directions. To take one step away from constant fighting and towards a different future." Daniel lifted his hands from his sides. "Asgard has been circled by a band of energy, keeping you here and your enemies out there." He tilted his head, eyes blazing. "With time and effort, you can break that protection, if you want to. If you can't keep yourselves from the need to conquer others. If you can't stop seeing yourselves as the masters of the universe. But," Daniel leaned closer, "I'd think long and hard about what that says about Asgardians. People who insist on wars when peace has broken out are not usually considered the good guys. Not even you, Odin, could convince your people of that."

There were cries of anger. Bellowed demands. Some searched blindly for a weapon that might have survived the Ascended beings' destruction. Daniel and the Others muffled their energy, appearing human before the Asgardians. Eyes streaming, one man stepped forward towards Daniel, a great hammer in his hand.

"You forgot one." He hefted the hammer, muscles bulging. 

Daniel met Thor's gaze. "Actually, we didn't." This man, this son of Odin had potential. But it was buried deep under his father's lessons in pride and arrogance and his people's unthinking devotion. "Thor. My name is Daniel. In my life, I lived on a planet much like the Earth you've visited. The one your brother targeted for destruction."

Loki had been trying his best to slip away, fixing a glamour over his features to hide his identity. Daniel drew it off like a silk veil from a shy bride. The dark-haired man shot him a glowering half-smile and lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

"Guilty as charged." Loki bowed dramatically.

Thor's scowl dissolved into a look of confusion. He regarded the hammer in his hand and then Daniel. "Why? If you would take our weapons, destroy every other means of war among us, why would you leave my hammer?"

Daniel smiled. "Because your hammer was not made for war. No matter what you've been told." 

Thor shook his head. "I don't understand. Mjolnir has leveled cities, broken mountains, reduced our enemies to ash."

"Its name means 'lightning,' doesn't it?" Daniel asked, his voice gentle.

"It does." Thor squared his shoulders as if challenging Daniel to make anything but a weapon out of that truth.

Luckily, Daniel had a little experience with words and language. "Lightning can be destructive. But, consider what lightning is, at the most basic level."

"It brings power," Odin interrupted, lunging off of his throne.

Daniel waved one hand and Odin's voice was silenced, his body held motionless. He cleared his throat. "As I was saying – Lightning. It lights up a dark and stormy sky. It draws off dangerous energy from the clouds and finds a ground – a way to bury it safely, to smother it." An early memory rushed to mind. The memory of the Stargate, of a naked old man left alone for far too long and a long-haired archaeologist who had to learn an important lesson. A broken DHD and a fortunate lightning strike. "Lightning can lend its power to good things, channeled and filtered by great minds, brave souls, and willing hearts." He stepped closer to Thor and placed one hand on the Asgardian's chest. "Your heart was tested not long ago, wasn't it? What did you learn?"

New tears sprang to Thor's eyes. "I learned that there are different – better – ways to be strong. Strong like a woman fighting for knowledge. For freedom to pursue her dreams. Like a man poised to strike one he perceives as a threat but holds his hand for long enough to find the truth. The strength of caring for others and still trusting them to know their own minds, to put themselves at risk, to fight at your side."

"And that's why we've left you your hammer. Because you have learned and, hopefully," Daniel's mouth quirked into a half-smile, "your fellow Asgardians will allow you to teach them what you've learned. From now on, no one can lift this hammer, use its power, but you. Not to destroy, but to light up your world with knowledge and to draw off dangerous magics and energies before they become threatening." Daniel turned to eye Loki. "No matter who wields them."

"And so, I pledge," Thor stated. A sunny grin spread across his face. "We are long-lived people, but our memories can be short. We have much to rediscover about ourselves besides the ways of war."

"Well said, my son." Freya left her throne with one unamused sidelong glance at her still fuming husband. She came to Loki, considering him with a challenge in her gaze. "And you, my other son? What tasks will you set your power to? Manipulation? Deceit? Would you break these wards built around our home to escape or to touch other worlds with your ego and hunger for power?"

Fists clenched at his sides, Loki answered. "Don't ask me to look into the future, mother. To tell you what I'll do tomorrow. I do not take oaths like my brother, nor promise, on bended knee, to curb my spirit."

Freya nodded as if she wasn't at all surprised by his answer. She turned to face Daniel. "And, so, what will these great Ascended powers do to those of my people who are too hidebound, too unpredictable to know they will change? Those who know no other way than fighting, revere no one but the one who can beat them?" She gestured towards her husband. "Those too damaged to believe in a different kind of future, one they cannot imagine?"

Behind him, Daniel felt the Others shroud their energies, one by one, until he appeared to be alone among the Asgardians. 

"I think you'll find that there are people among you with many different ideas, that are hungry for a chance to speak, to be heard, over the chanting of battle poems and the clashing of swords." Daniel bowed his head to the lovely, strong, determined woman before him. "Rule at your husband's side, queen, not as his subject, but as a true partner. Find these thinkers. Nurture them. Encourage your people to respect others not for power's sake, but for the uniqueness in every soul." Daniel's energy flickered out, one last time, to let slip the binding of Odin's power, loosening his clutching hold, the hoarding of every scrap of energy he'd found out in the universe and tied to himself alone. Freya's eyelids fluttered as she felt the power now shared equally between them. "I have faith in you," Daniel whispered into her mind.

Turning, Daniel addressed the crowd. "Know this: we will be watching you. Not watching as an angry father just waiting for his child to make a mistake, but as hopeful souls who would be happy to welcome more Asgardians out in the universe. To share in protecting those less powerful instead of exploiting them."

Boots and BDUs and holster slipped away, leaving Daniel's pure core of energy. He drifted over the Asgard throne room, relieved to see Thor and his brother move as one to support their mother, leaving Odin to struggle alone with his new reality. Beyond the castle, the world still shimmered with energy, with light, protected, now, from any darkness without. Daniel only hoped that whatever darkness that still lay within Asgard would be overwhelmed by the people's light.


	4. Chapter 4

The dark asphalt around the Stuttgart warehouse was quiet when Daniel coalesced into his physical body. In a neat row along one side, eight black-garbed mercenaries had been hog-tied, face-down, none of them bothering to fight the zip ties attached to ankles, wrists, and elbows. Nearby, perched on a raised vent, Clint Barton kept one eye on his captives and another on Ganos, fingering his compound bow. 

By the Earth clock, it had only been a few minutes since Loki's hold had been broken. Daniel was impressed by how quickly Barton had recovered himself. Looking closer he realized the man's eyes were a little too wide, a little too wild for someone as disciplined and controlled as the sniper known as Hawkeye.

"Another one, huh."

Barton's gaze felt scorching along the skin Daniel wore. Apparently, the man's code-name was well-earned. Daniel turned to the dark-haired Ancient woman. 

"Thank you. I think I've got it from here."

Her mouth didn't smile, but her eyes were gentle. "This one has a strong mind. I only wish you'd brought us to this universe years ago, when he was a child. Before great damage was done." She turned back to regard Barton where he'd stiffened on his perch. "What he might have accomplished …"

"Hey. There's nothing wrong with me." Barton unfolded from his position and lowered his feet to the ground, hands positioned for a quick draw on his bow. "And I sure as hell don't need any other alien whateverthehellyouare mixing in my brain or my memories."

"No, you don't," Daniel replied. He nodded to Ganos. "I think he's done pretty well for himself." Memories of a broken chain and a falling cover stone and the foster homes that followed – good and bad - flickered through Daniel's mind. "As a fellow orphan, I know that not everyone needs an intervention. Some people would rather find a way – even if it's a way most would think strange and unusual."

"Okay –"

Before Barton could take any more offense, Ganos bowed in acknowledgement. "Very well. I will leave this one to you, Daniel. But, have a care." Now her smile was mischievous. "I've taken a liking to Clinton Francis Barton. Hawkeye. Make sure you treat him well."

Daniel barked a laugh at Barton's reddened cheeks and startled expression. "I promise." He laid a hand over his heart.

Ganos' form dissolved into bright beads of light and sped up into the heavens. Barton's gaze followed, his mouth falling open.

"So, 'Daniel,'" Barton tilted his head towards Ganos' trailing energy. "What kind of aliens are you guys? Not Asgardians, I'd guess." He eyed Daniel's BDUs. "I don't see any flowing cloaks or gold-embossed accessories. No peacock feathers or Shakespeare." He shrugged. "Not many Asgardians named Daniel, if it is your name."

"Oh, it is. I'm not an alien. Well, not really." He frowned. "At least, I was born on Earth, just not this particular version of Earth." How was he going to explain alternate realities to someone as down-to-earth as Clint Barton?

"Parallel, huh? Gotcha." Barton nodded. "What's the mission?"

O-kay. That was easy. Daniel shifted mental gears. "The mission is over. Well, almost."

"You pulled that bastard out of my head. I'm grateful. But, what did you do with him?" His voice was gravel and darkness, promising violence.

"We took him home. And he'll stay there – they'll all stay there. For at least five hundred years."

"All of them. Thor, too?" A smile flashed across Barton's face, but it didn't linger. "His girlfriend won't like that. And she's pretty smart – she'll figure out a way to get him back. Or are you a bunch of aliens who think the humans of Earth are poor little victims, unable to figure out how to put our shoes on the right feet?" He leaned back on the vent behind him, but the set of his jaw told Daniel that he was anything but relaxed. "Making all our decisions for us, shutting doors in our faces 'for our own good.' Just how does that make you any different from Loki? Mind control took away my choices. Sounds like you and your people are just doing that on a global level."

Nodding, Daniel followed the man's logic. Remembered conversations he'd had with the Tollan in his universe. With the Nox. "Those are good points. I'd be concerned about the same things, if I were in your place. In fact, I've been in your place. And that's the reason, 'for your own good,' is something you won't hear from me." 

Daniel felt the restless air behind and above him. He raised his voice, pressing his power into the words, knowing it would carry to any and all listening ears.

"We won't stop Doctor Foster's research. Or Doctor Selvig's. We won't interfere with any human mind, any Earth-based ideas or technology. This world," Daniel couldn't help his enthusiasm, "your people are amazing. They've found power and energy, devised artificial intelligences, found ways to take horrible personal situations and turn them into opportunities to help others. You, your partner, Stark, Banner – you've risen from abuse and manipulation, from torture and betrayal, and put yourselves on the front lines fighting for freedom. I am honestly overwhelmed by your abilities to adjust, to look beyond, to see the possibilities for a future where extraordinary men and women come together – not for personal gain, but to do just what we," he waved his hand through the air, light tendrils dancing at the ends of his fingers, "what our kind is trying to do. Shelter. Protect." He closed his fist. "Fight. For all the right reasons."

"You've taken the first steps." Daniel hurried on before he could be interrupted. "In accepting those who are different, who have evolved, whose genes have mutated into unique patterns. You've begun to recognize that these extraordinary people can lead Earth into light and life, into greater understanding and freedom, and you've seen how one or two with darker natures could turn your new powers, your devices, into more war. Into a battle of titans where only the innocent, the powerless, are at risk." He ripped the names out of this Earth's recent past. "Stane. Hydra. Blonsky. Ross." He felt a smile creep across his face. "With great power comes great responsibility. You know that. And you know that you are the last line of defense between these powerful men and women and the people of Earth. I … have a little bit of experience with that. And I know that stifling your imaginations, your drive for knowledge – that's the last thing we should be doing."

"So, what you're saying is," a sardonic voice behind Daniel's right shoulder spoke into the night, "you're not interfering with us, you're just keeping the Asgardians out of our hair."

Daniel turned, trying not to grin at Nick Fury's comparison. On the bald man's side right, Phil Coulson's quick blink told him he was having the same problem controlling his expression. To Fury's left, the woman who styled herself Black Widow had a handgun aimed at Daniel's chest, but her eyes were for her partner. Behind them, Tony Stark – Iron Man – hovered above and Steve Rogers stood below, garbed in red, white, and blue. 

"Doctor Banner didn't come?" Daniel was disappointed. Call him a fanboy, but these men and women, these Avengers, brought out the eager child in him. 

Stark, weaponized hands at his sides to steady his flight, answered. "He's around. Hanging out. Let's call him our reserve team."

Daniel snorted. "Yes, he could be a team all by himself."

"Let Barton go."

Eyebrows raised, Daniel looked back and forth between Clint and the woman known as Natasha Romanoff. She was, perhaps, the most dangerous of any of the assembled Avengers. "Clint is free – I'm not holding him."

"He's right, Nat. I'm all good."

"I'll be the judge of that," Fury growled. "The last time I saw you, Barton, you put a slug in my chest. You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for the fact that you are 'all good."

Barton's gaze shifted from Fury to Coulson. The mild-appearing man in the dark blue suit shifted his weight, his head-shake almost undiscernible. 

"Yeah?" Leaving his bow to lean against his leg, Barton hooked both thumbs into his vest. "How's Selvig?"

"Doctor Selvig … seems to have recovered. Unfortunately, he has no explanation for what happened to the tesseract while it was in his hands. Or a cache of weapons that suddenly disappeared from SHIELD storage. He's undergoing some medical tests." Fury was trying to sound reasonable. Logical. It came off as frustrated and dangerous.

Daniel didn't trust him. Neither, apparently, did Barton.

"Gonna lock me up, Boss? Make me prove I'm me? Or maybe put me on trial for what that asshole forced me to do? Disappear me?" Clint directed his questions not to Fury, but to Coulson, his expression bleak. "Guess I should have expected that."

Before anyone could blink, Black Widow had shifted her weight and her gun was trained on Fury, the barrel an inch from his bald head. "I'm ready if you are."

She was obviously speaking to Barton.

Daniel watched the tension in the gathered men – and woman – ratchet up. Somewhere behind Stark and Rogers he sensed ships, men in black carrying formidable weapons. Not the weapons Fury was hoping for – planning for. The tesseract-powered weapons had been destroyed when Heimdall destroyed the stones. On a SHIELD ship not far away, Doctor Banner fidgeted on the edge of control, unaware of the cage created just for him a few decks beneath him. 

Nick Fury. Built by conflict, trained to mistrust, to believe only in himself and those tied to him by bonds of guilt, by dark threats and promises with teeth and claws, Nick Fury was not a safe ally. Daniel crossed his arms, his power rising to the edge of his skin, anger fueling the urge to teach Nick Fury a lesson. To show him how powerless he could be. Not just to the infiltration of his military ranks by his enemy, but to mind control, manipulation. He and the other Ascended could make Nick Fury dance. 

Maybe he should have let Loki teach this one a lesson on power.

Daniel felt the edges of his form blurring as his power doubled and redoubled. The Others were there, close, whispering in his mind. Warning him. Daniel took a deep breath and tried to settle his spirit beyond vengeance. It was the same warning he'd received back in his universe as Ba'al hurt his best friend over and over again. The image of a tiny woman with flowers in her hair burst into life in his memory. Lya. On Tollana, after Tanith's attempt at invasion, Sam had confronted her. 'That's a very fine that you didn't cross.' 'Yes,' had been Lya's answer.

He swallowed down his anger. Closed his eyes to share thought and fear and reassurance from the Others. They would stop him if he stepped across that line. He'd always known that. Funny. He'd come close when Jack … when Jack thought there had been only one solution. When he'd turned to Daniel with empty eyes, welcoming death – final death – longing for it. Maybe the Others were right – maybe Daniel shouldn't be interfering like this. Maybe flexing those Ancient muscles made it all too easy to go too far. To believe in his own godhood.

_'You are still Daniel Jackson. I helped you Ascend for a reason.' _

Oma's inner voice was warm. He dropped his chin to his chest. Words had always been Daniel's weapons of choice. With them he'd slit pompous egos, drilled holes of doubt into politicians' bluster, and slipped past stiff barriers of assumptions and deceit to find truth. Even with the power of earthly weapons - guns, knives, zats at his fingertips, Daniel had always chosen words. The energy of his new life rippled across his being and settled. He'd try them with Fury. 

"I see the men of this Earth are still blaming rape victims for their own injuries." A flash of red hair. The scent of sweat and skin. Daniel shook off his own remembered hurt. Others had suffered far worse than he did. And were still suffering. "Agent Barton and Doctor Selvig were overwhelmed, forced to submit by a force you should hope is never directed at you, Director Fury. Each of them fought Loki in their own way. Kept themselves sane while he forced them to act. That," Daniel raised his eyes and bowed his head to Barton, "is an impressive achievement for men who haven't been touched with the superpowers others claim."

Neither Barton nor Romanoff flinched, but Daniel noticed the darkening of their eyes, denial and hurt almost disguised by their well-trained blandness. Rogers' concerned gaze flicked between Daniel and Fury, gloved hands sliding around the rim of his shield. Stark reined in his powered suit and landed near Barton, the faceplate drawing back with a clank.

"Yeah. I'm with glow-boy."

Daniel had a whiplash-fast moment of déjà vu, Jack O'Neill's face peeking out at him from the Iron Man suit for a second.

"Anyway, we're claiming Barton. Avenger." Stark jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the stunned agent. "We'll take Romanoff's brand of crazy, too. No need to concern yourself, Nick."

Ouch. Daniel felt the sarcasm strafe across his skin on its way to Fury.

"These are my assets, Stark –" Fury started.

"Assets?" 

Coulson tilted his head, facing his boss. Former boss? The dynamics of the situation were blurring and changing too fast for Daniel to keep up.

"Seems like you've already written Hawkeye off."

"Now, look –"

"That's enough." Coulson spoke before Fury could get up a head of offended and patronizing steam. "I have a suggestion. Let's all stop threatening our allies, what do you say." He put his hands on his hips, flipping his coat behind him. "You've always hated any resolution of conflict that doesn't involve you, Nick. Trying to take back some of your power by putting the screws to Hawkeye and Selvig is petty, even for you."

Barton's voice was warm. "Nat." 

Widow stepped away from Fury, her weapon holstered in one motion. "Allies don't threaten to imprison my partner for falling before a powerful enemy." She tilted her head, eying Fury. "He could have shot you in the head, you know. No body armor protecting that thick skull."

"I will take that under advisement." Fury huffed out a breath, hands clasped in front of him. "If everyone is done posturing, I'd like to wrap this up." 

"No one postures better than you, Boss," Coulson drawled. He strode forward, his back to Fury, pointedly ignoring everyone else as he approached Barton. "Clint?"

Barton straightened, pulling his shoulders back to face the other man. "Loki and that damned staff. He programmed me with one touch. Couldn't break it, but," he glanced over Coulson's shoulder towards Fury, "I could bend it a little. These guys," he gestured towards his captives, "were just hired help."

"And, now?"

Cocking a finger-gun at Daniel, Barton fired. "This one and his friend blew Loki out of my head. I'm clear."

Coulson had a hand on Barton's shoulder. "Good to have you back." He turned to Daniel, relief filling in the deep creases on his forehead. "Thank you. It's good to have an ally watching our backs."

"Assuming we are all allies." Fury's one-eyed stare slid past Coulson and right back to Daniel. "Look. We're not questioning your power, your ability to put some kind of leash or cage around us, around the Earth. You've made that clear. What we're questioning is your right to do so."

Fury had neatly sidestepped his agents' momentary revolt. Now he was attempting to put Daniel on one side, and SHIELD, the Avengers, himself, and Earth on the other. So far, Daniel didn't think he'd achieved his goal. Widow, Barton, and Coulson were an obvious cluster of devoted friends, Stark at the edge, dying to be a part of that camaraderie. Rogers dithered, neither comfortable at Fury's side nor taking the step that would ally him with the others.

Those were not Daniel's problems. 

He let candor, his natural earnestness, fill his words. "My people rarely interact with humans. You have only my word for that, of course." He let the smile drift away from his face. "We won't stop you from developing weapons, from making decisions that will bring disaster and devastation to your planet, if you're bound and determined to do so. What we will do is act to protect exactly that – your right to make your own mistakes without powerful beings from other worlds – other systems – interfering."

Daniel let his physical form go, allowed his energy to billow out, tendrils flickering, lighting up the midnight sky. 

"We haven't caged Earth, we've caged Asgard and their enemies, another set of powerful beings whose ideas about interference are all about conquest and control, not protection. You see, we've met beings like that before, beings who mistake power for godhood. Who believe might makes right. And who feel that trampling innocents in the name of their 'greater good' results in … acceptable losses."

Daniel rose into the air, energy, light, the bright glow of his spirit reflected in the eyes of those gathered on the ground. Even Fury's one good eye couldn't deny the light.

"If there's one idea that we would leave you with, it's this: there are many kinds of power. Love. Knowledge. Destruction. Freedom. You are free to choose which you will embrace. And free to live with the consequences of those choices." He joined the Others beyond the visible. "Good luck."

Clint Barton heard a woman's voice echoing deep inside. _"Go with our blessing, Clint Barton. You are safe from Nick Fury, from this planet's powers that be. Step out into your future."_

Natasha Romanoff stumbled, her partner's arm around her shoulders steadying her. _"The red in your ledger was washed away years ago, daughter. Be at peace."_ It sounded like her mother's voice. She didn't remember her mother.

_"Captain. You have the right to choose your own battles."_ Rogers slipped the cowl from his head and dropped it to the pavement. He caught Tony Stark's wide, startled gaze across the asphalt. 

_"I'm proud of you, Tony. I've always been proud of you. I'm sorry I hid it so well that you never knew."_

"Howard." Rogers mouthed the name. Tony nodded.

On a ship in the atmosphere, Bruce Banner tilted his head. _"Safety is something we all struggle with. Recognizing friends – and enemies – that's something Hulk can help you with."_

Near a German warehouse, Nick Fury snorted, watching his plans for SHIELD, for the Avengers, fall to pieces around his feet. "Well, damn," he murmured.


End file.
